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• bach
  bach

  noun

  a bachelor.
• Bach
  Bach

  noun

  Johann Sebastian 1685–1750, German organist and composer.

bach

¹ American  

[bach] / bætʃ /

noun

1. a bachelor.

2. New Zealand. a small weekend or vacation house or shack.

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idioms

1. bach it, to live alone or share living quarters with someone of the same gender, usually doing one's own housework, cooking, laundry, etc.

Bach ² American  

[bahkh] / bɑx /

noun

1. Johann Sebastian 1685–1750, German organist and composer.

2. his sons: Carl Philipp Emanuel 1714–88; Johann Christian 1735–82; Johann Christoph Friedrich 1732–95; and Wilhelm Friedemann 1710–84, German organists and composers.

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Bach ¹ British  

/ bax /

noun

1. Johann Christian (joˈhan ˈkrɪstjan), 11th son of J. S. Bach. 1735–82, German composer, called the English Bach , resident in London from 1762

2. Johann Christoph (ˈkrɪstɔf). 1642–1703, German composer: wrote oratorios, cantatas, and motets, some of which were falsely attributed to J. S. Bach, of whom he was a distant relative

3. Johann Sebastian (joˈhan zeˈbastjan). 1685–1750, German composer: church organist at Arnstadt (1703–07) and Mühlhausen (1707–08); court organist at Weimar (1708–17); musical director for Prince Leopold of Köthen (1717–28); musical director for the city of Leipzig (1728–50). His output was enormous and displays great vigour and invention within the northern European polyphonic tradition. His works include nearly 200 cantatas and oratorios, settings of the Passion according to St John (1723) and St Matthew (1729), the six Brandenburg Concertos (1720–21), the 48 preludes and fugues of the Well-tempered Clavier (completed 1744), and the Mass in B Minor (1733–38)

4. Karl ( or Carl ) Philipp Emanuel (karl ˈfiːlɪp eˈmaːnuɛl), 3rd son of J. S. Bach. 1714–88, German composer, chiefly of symphonies, keyboard sonatas, and church music

5. Wilhelm Friedemann (ˈvɪlhɛlm ˈfriːdəman), eldest son of J. S. Bach. 1710–84, German composer: wrote nine symphonies and much keyboard and religious music

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bach ² British  

/ bætʃ /

verb

1. a variant spelling of batch 1

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noun

1. a simple cottage, esp at the seaside

bach ³ British  

/ bax, bɑːk /

noun

1. a term of friendly address: used esp after a person's name

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Etymology

Origin of bach

An Americanism dating back to 1850–55; by shortening

Example Sentences

Under Dhanraj Master, he studied Western music, mastering the guitar and piano while immersing himself in Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and Schubert.

From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026

The conclusion, a wordless moment between father and daughter set to the strains of Bach played on a broken pipe organ, was the most devastating passage of the entire festival.

From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026

She’s clearly positioned in the film as an intellectually rich matriarch—there are lovingly shot images of her with her grand- and great-grandchildren on the beach, and footage of her playing Bach.

From Slate • Apr. 16, 2026

Baldoni lawyers Alexandra Shapiro and Jonathan Bach said they were grateful for the dismissal of the “very serious allegations,” adding, “What’s left is a significantly narrowed case.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

A Bach invention, a Brahms symphony, and a Beatles song are different forms in different genres, and at first they may sound as if they have nothing in common.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones